The category 5 Hurricane Irma has made first landfall and cruise lines are scrambling to shift and cancel itineraries with the safety of their passengers in mind.
UPDATE: 2:52 p.m. ET 9/7/2017
To ensure the safety of its employees, Royal Caribbean is using one of the ships with a canceled itinerary to transport people out of the path of Hurricane Irma. The employees and their families will board the Enchantment of the Seas and depart Friday at noon before sailing into open water and waiting until the Port of Miami has reopened to dock again, according to CNN Money.
As for Carnival Cruise Line, officials provided an in-depth look at how the company is handling the next several days of impacted cruises along the path of Hurricane Irma, via Facebook:
Carnival Paradise - September 7
Will depart from Tampa today. Guests will be informed of our itinerary this afternoon.
Carnival Sensation - September 7
Will depart Miami today, as scheduled. Our call to Key West is canceled and guests will enjoy an extended stay in Cozumel.
Carnival Conquest - September 9
Now scheduled to depart Port Everglades on September 12 on a 4 day cruise to Cozumel.
Carnival Glory - September 9
Now scheduled to depart Miami on September 12 on a 4 day cruise to Cozumel.
Carnival Magic - September 9
Now scheduled to depart Port Canaveral on September 13 on a 3 day cruise to Nassau (pending port confirmation).
Carnival Vista - September 9
Now scheduled to depart Miami on September 12 on a 5 day two port Western Caribbean cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel.
Carnival Freedom - September 9
Will depart Galveston on September 9 on a three port Western Caribbean cruise to Mahogany Bay, Belize and Cozumel.
Carnival Ecstasy - September 9
We will depart Charleston on September 9 to operate a two port cruise to the Bahamas. We are hopeful that we will be able to offer a two Bahamian port itinerary (Freeport, Nassau or Half Moon Cay). Since we are unable to confirm the itinerary at this time, guests may elect to cancel and receive a future cruise credit. Guests wishing to sail will receive a 25% future cruise credit based on the fare paid for this cruise.
Carnival Dream - September 10
Will depart New Orleans on September 10 to operate a three port Western Caribbean cruise to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.
Carnival Pride - September 10
We will depart Baltimore on September 10 on a cruise to Canada/New England. Itinerary details will be confirmed today at 6:00 PM. Given the significant itinerary deviation, guests may elect to cancel and receive a future cruise credit. Guests wishing to sail will receive a 25% future cruise credit based on the fare paid for this cruise.
Carnival Fascination - September 10
We will confirm our plans for this cruise on Friday at 1:00 PM.
Carnival Sensation - September 11
Will now depart on September 13 for a 3 day cruise to Nassau.
Carnival Victory - September 11
Will now depart on September 12 for a 3 day cruise to Nassau.
Carnival Paradise - September 11
Will depart on Monday, as scheduled; itinerary remains unchanged.
---
UPDATE: 10:45 a.m. ET 9/7/2017
As Hurricane Irma continues toward Florida, cruise lines operating out of PortMiami, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades have canceled every voyage scheduled to depart Friday, including all trips hosted by Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line.
According to USA Today, five of the 10 sailings scheduled to begin in Florida Saturday have also been canceled or delayed, with only Carnival's five Saturday sailings still listed as on schedule. The cruise line said the voyages were under evaluation and an update would be provided Thursday.
Officials expect PortMiami, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades to temporarily shut down by Saturday in advance of the storm. The U.S. Coast Guard's captain of each port will make the final decision on when to close the facilities.
---
Original Text
Already more than a dozen ships have been affected, with more changes possible if Irma bears down on Florida this weekend.
According to Gene Sloan, the cruise expert for USA Today, the changes are being felt by some 40,000 passengers who are either currently at sea or planning to depart within the next week.
To date, changes include:
Norwegian Cruise Line
A weather alert link on the Norwegian Cruise Line website states that in order to ensure the safety of passengers, the company will be making itinerary adjustments to sailings already in progress on board Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Sky, as well as canceling sailings scheduled to depart this weekend on those ships.
The ongoing cruises on the Sky and Escape will have their itineraries changed and customers will receive cash reimbursements. Travelers scheduled to depart on the canceled Escape or Sky sailings-with departure dates of September 8 and 9, respectively-will receive a full refund and a 50 percent credit toward a future cruise.
All other Norwegian ships are currently sailing as scheduled and the cruise line will continue to monitor the storm's projected path and provide updates.
Royal Caribbean International
On Saturday, Royal Caribbean International altered the itinerary for the 5,400-passenger Allure of the Seas, which is now sailing a Western Caribbean schedule instead of its planned course through the Eastern Caribbean.
On an itinerary update page on their website, which lists all sailings and their status, the cruise line announced it was cancelling three sailings scheduled to depart this weekend. Affected are this Friday's sailings of Majesty of the Seas from Port Canaveral and the Enchantment of the Seas from Miami, and this Saturday's Cuba sailing of Empress of the Seas.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Airlines Offer Hurricane Irma Flight Changes[/READMORE]
MSC Cruises
On Saturday, MSC Cruises altered the itinerary for MSC Divina, which set sail on September 4. The September 9 departure of the MSC Divina from Miami has officially been canceled. Affected travelers can follow MSC's Irma updates here.
Disney Cruise Line
An update on Disney Cruise Line's website states that Disney Cruise Line has altered the itinerary for the September 4 sailing of the Disney Dream. Dream will now sail a modified Bahamas itinerary and will return to Port Canaveral one day earlier than planned on Thursday, September 7. Guests on this sailing will be refunded one night of their voyage fare and provided a 25 percent discount on a future cruise. The September 8 and September 11 sailings of the Disney Dream have been canceled.
Disney Fantasy is currently sailing a modified Western Caribbean itinerary and is expected to return to Port Canaveral two days earlier than planned, on Thursday, September 7. Guests on this sailing will be refunded two nights of their voyage fare and provided a 25 per cent discount on a future cruise. The September 9 sailing of the Disney Fantasy is canceled.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed it will modify the itineraries of four of its vessels, including the Florida-based Carnival Glory (Miami), Carnival Magic (Port Canaveral) and Carnival Splendor (Fort Lauderdale.) It is also shifting the itinerary for the Carnival Pride, which is based in Baltimore.
A travel alert on the Carnival Cruise Line site has announced that the line will cancel sailings for Carnival Liberty on September 7 and Carnival Victory on September 8.
"We sincerely apologize for the disruption to your vacation plans. We will automatically process a full refund, including any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures, Fun Shop purchases and beverage packages. Thank you for your patience while we continue to work through our plans related to Hurricane Irma. Our teams have been working throughout the day and we will post another update as soon as possible. Rest assured, we are keeping all ships a safe and comfortable distance from the storm."
The site also states It will post another update at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises has also shifted a number of ports of call on the Celebrity Equinox itinerary, including canceling a stop in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
An article in the Virgin Islands Consortium noted that Damian Cartwright, the acting executive director of the Virgin Islands Port Authority said that although the call was canceled for safety reasons, he "extended his apologies to the merchants and businesses that would be affected by the cancellation."
[READMORE]READ MORE: Hurricane Irma May Reach 180 mph in the Caribbean[/READMORE]
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
Special thanks to Donald Wood and Brian Simpson for contributing to this report.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
